The Voyager
by WolfsCub
Summary: Hermione Granger is catapulted through time and space, into Voyager. Will probably pair her up with poor Vorik.
1. Chapter 1

Here we go again… Not very original, since I am somewhat obsessed with the character of Hermione Granger who is catapulted through time and space, into Voyager.

So far, one shot unless you like it, or if I feel inspired! Haven't watched Star Trek in a while… :-/

**Chapter 1**

Captain Kathryn Janeway sipped a cup of coffee in her Ready Room. While setting it on the table, the entire ship shook, and she heard Mr. Tuvok's voice through the com badge.

"Captain."

"Mr. Tuvok, what is the matter? Are we under attack?"

"No, Captain, but I am picking up a disruption in Holo-Deck 2, a massive amount of energy… The sensors are now picking up… a life form of a human female on the deck."

"I'm on my way. Send a security detail."

"Yes, Captain."

Soon she arrived at the Holo-Deck, and she couldn't be more surprised; the crew was already preparing to transport the source of the disruption to sickbay. An unconscious young human woman, dressed rather old fashionably, laid bleeding on the floor, her long messy hair filthy with dirt and blood. A crewmember was scanning her vitals, already, and looking grimly at the woman.

"She's holding on a thread, Captain!"

"Take her to the sickbay at once and inform the Doctor."

"Captain, something's wrong with the Holo-Deck.", said a crewmember. "No one was using it, and the currently running holo-novel is… not on the database."

"What do you mean its not…", the Captain trailed off.

"It's running, but the computer doesn't recognize it as such." The crew member kept at it, lightly punching the computer screen, and then focusing on his PADD, showing her the data. "As if it didn't exist, at all." Then, the program simply shut down, leaving them staring at blank, silver walls where there was once a dark forbidding forest. "And… it's gone. No record of it, Captain."

"Keep searching for it, and report as soon as possible."

"Yes, Captain."

She set to the sickbay calmly, worried with the woman, hoping the Doctor would have good news. Kathryn knew rushing in the middle of the Doctor's work would achieve nothing, considering a life was at risk, but she felt wary. All this time they had spent in space, wonders never ceased, and everything seemed to happen to the ship and the crew. No doubt this stranger would be a new reason for talk. Was she a spy for the Kazon? Hardly. They despised humans, and a female to boot! It was unlikely. Was she some hologram come to life?

Finally, entering the infirmary, she could see the Doctor was now only scanning her, having already administered medication; a sheet was covering her. A Vulcan crew member had been receiving some treatment and had begun to leave but, as Kes was on leave, he had been passing some medical tool or another to the EMH.

"Well, Doctor?"

"She is not a hologram, that's for certain, Captain, if you were thinking about it." Kathryn smiled. "She was far too damaged anyway." She frowned at such words, and noticed the Vulcan Ensign didn't look too pleased.

"She was convulsing when she arrived, apparently from nerve damage. She was not target of sexual assault, but it's clear she was being tortured; all her fingers on her left hand were broken, along with the rest of her arm, and her abdomen suffered damage, probably from a dagger. She was probably used as a punching bag, and stepped on, her wrists seem to have been deeply bitten into, and those are just some of the recent injuries. "

"Excuse me?", said the Captain. The Doctor lifted the sheet; a long scar adorned her torso and in her left arm she bore a carved word.

Mudblood. In capital letters.

What did that mean? Why did that sound like a horrible, horrible word?

"What I don't understand is, it almost looks freshly made, and I can't seem to treat this particular… carving.

"Indeed, Captain.", whispered the Vulcan. "I have consulted the database, and there doesn't seem to be any reference to such a word."

"A mystery that will probably be solved only when our… guest awakens."

"She is now in a restorative sleep, Captain, but I shall be monitoring her." Suddenly, several crewmembers entered the infirmary, gripping their stomaches. "Now what?", sighed the Doctor. "Let me guess, you all ingested Mr. Neelix's cooking..." Their nods confirmed his suspicions, the EMH excused himself and approached them.

"If you wish, Captain, and if Lt. Torres allows it, I would stay with our new patient for as long as its needed."

"Very well, Ensign Vorik. It will not be a problem, and I'm sure she'll appreciate it." At the trademark Vulcan lift of an eyebrow, Janeway responded. "There are many states of conscienceless, Ensign. My mother was once ill, and remained in bed, unconscious for a time, like our Sleeping Beauty here."

"Sleeping Beauty, Captain? You mean, the human fairytale."

"I'm surprised you know of it.", she smiled, "I would read and talk to her everyday and later she told me she heard me."

Vorik remained behind and stared at the young woman. He could see, beneath the blood and dirt marks, she had a pleasing face, despite a messy hair, and a hourglass figure that her scars could not mar. Yes, one could say, in human patterns, she was a beauty.

He took his PADD, punching it several times and set to read aloud about warp core configuration. If he was to watch her, he might as well revise the basics while he was at it. He had always enjoyed science, especially engineering.

Well, enjoying in Vulcan terms, that is.

Yes, control, he made a pause in his reading. He had not been sleeping well as of late.

He dreamt of a dark forest and red and green lights, of shouts and humans falling, never to stand again, which left him oddly disturbed. He would meditate for a while before he could sleep again.

Other times he would dream of a strange library, with books made of paper and encased in leather, some flying above his head, and a figure alone by a window, bended over paper and dusty texts. He would see himself approaching said person and putting his hand – touching! – _her_ shoulder, and _she would touch his hand and kiss it._ Then, he'd hear her voice call out his name, and he'd wake.

Just dreams, they didn't mean anything. Dreams were illogical.

And he felt the need to revise, so he would read aloud, he would always do so when rereading but reading aloud in his quarters felt…

There it was, feeling, and no meditation would make it go away. It unsettled him, so in the next few days he would go to the sickbay and read to her. There he would feel... normal again.

The crew had asked him questions to which he, with permission, responded dryly without detail as to what injuries she had sustained.

It would only be logical to assume that she would not appreciate the crew knowing what scars she had. Some matters were and should be kept private. They had taken to call her Sleeping Beauty, though.

Her color had improved and so had her recent injuries. Her sleep seemed lighter. The Doctor was of the opinion she would wake by herself. It appeared no true love's kiss would be required, which, according to Tom Paris, was a pity, something Vorik found logical, only because he was considering Mr. Paris probable train of thoughts.

Vorik was droning on advanced warp core configuration when he was surprised by her stirring. She stretched and blinked at the ceiling, and then looked at him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Hello", said a pointy eared man. "Doctor?"

"Good morning, Miss.", said a bald man, who was presumably the medical doctor. He held himself with authority and held two small devices in his hands, waving one over herself and cradling the other in his hand, looking at it constantly. Both were wearing uniforms; black straight pants, a light weighted blue sweater underneath with golden stars in the high collar, and a badge above their hearts.  
Or where their hearts should be.  
She looked at them warily and tried, to no avail, to touch the doctor. Said persona lifted an eyebrow at her gesture, and said he was an EMH, an emergency medical hologram. A hologram... that explained why the Doctor didn't seem to have an aura. The other one was very much alive... but his aura was not human, and his heart was not placed the same way either.  
_What is this place?_, she wondered aloud and turned inquisitively to the EMH.  
However, it was as if she had never spoken, her lips moving for no sound to leave them. She touched her lips and grabbed her throat.  
"I detect no damage made to your throat or vocal cords, Miss. I presume it must be psychosomatic, most likely due to the extensive trauma you have suffered.", he kept scanning her. She made a gesture as if writing on paper. "Yes, you will need a PADD to communicate." She lifted an eyebrow inquisitively.  
"You don't know what a PADD is?" the other man raised a rectangular slim object and showed it to her, when she shook her head. "See, it can be used to process and analyze data, listen to audio files and read texts, as well as write.", he said, demonstrating how to do it, and giving her the device.  
"With that eyebrow lift, one would think she was a Vulcan in the making.", mumbled the Doctor. She snorted, smirked and typed the words 'with that attitude I'd say you were a grumpy in the making, except you seem to already be one, Doc'.  
The Doctor harrumphed and mumbled something about unappreciative people and still being treated like a hologram.  
She dropped her smirk, and typed an apology, followed with an 'I like you, Doctor Grumpy.' and a wink. The Doctor smiled and said.  
"Well... if that is how it is, we understand each other. Now..." he touched his badge and called "Captain, our guest is conscious. She cannot speak, but she can communicate with a PADD. Would you come to sickbay?"  
A pleasant female voice answered affirmatively.  
"Now, what is your name, Miss?", asked the Doctor. She remained silent. "Do you not remember?" She swallowed hard. "It's quite alright. It will come to you, with time, like your voice. Ah, Captain! Would you please?", he gestured towards a translucent room nearby and conferred with her for a few minutes. The other pointy eared man remained silent and cool. Then, the Captain and the Doctor came at her.  
"I am Captain Kathryn Janeway." the young woman, sitting, rose and bowed slightly to the captain, who lifted both eyebrows at the gesture, unusual with humans. "Welcome aboard the USS Voyager. Now, you do not remember your name, but we will have to give you one. I also require you to write down what you remember. How did you come to be on my ship?"  
The young woman typed, "I don't remember much. I know I didn't stop long anywhere, I remember the feeling of being hunted. I guess I'm just a traveller, a voyager like this ship. I'm sorry I can't tell you more.", she sighed shakily.  
"In time, if you remember, know you can come to me or to the Doctor.", she nodded. "You must choose a name, for now." she typed the word 'Voyager'. Janeway smiled. "The name of the ship?"  
'A name like any other. I suppose it suits me.' she paused. 'What is going to happen to me?'  
"Due to your injuries, you will remain here for another day. If all goes well, you will be spending the remainder in your quarters. They will be ready tomorrow."  
'Am I to be a prisoner, then?'  
"No, we have the brig for that, and..." Janeway smiled ruefully. "Consider yourself a guest. Mr. Vorik, is something the matter? It seems everytime I come to sickbay you are here."  
"Oh, Captain, Ensign Vorik as been so kind as to come and read to Miss Voyager here, ever since she arrived.", said the Doctor. The Captain nodded, pleased with Mr. Vorik, saying it was rather sweet of him. "Yes, well, I'm not sure if droning on basic and advanced warp core configuration and security protocols is sweet. Must be a new trend in interpersonal relationships I fail to understand.", he sighed, only to dryly state, "The Vulcan brain never ceases to amaze me." (AN - quote from Star Trek Voyager, Blood Fever episode).  
The Captain gave a few more instructions and left sickbay. Voyager typed, 'But what am I to do? Stare at walls all day? Can you give me something to read or do? I think I would enjoy reading.' The Doctor and Vorik read her words and the latter replied,  
"Doctor, I believe I could be charged with this. My shift begins in an hour but until then I can easily procure some reading materials for Miss Voyager. There is no need for you to waste your precious time."  
"Thank you, Ensign. More materials on warp core?"  
"If it pleases Miss Voyager." Voyager stared at Vorik and smiled. "I believe I will include some general culture, science, engineering, medical, historical texts", she smiled, "and some human literature. Mr. Tuvok told me the Captain enjoys some nineteenth century Earth literature, so I will compile those for you."  
"And in the meantime, Miss Voyager, you should have a bath. Kes will help you, yes?"

-.-.-

A day passed by with no complications, and soon Voyager was being escorted to her new quarters. They weren't very big, but nevertheless, better than she had expected. There was a small bathroom, a bed and she carried a cortical monitor on the base of her skull and a PADD, full with books, courtesy of Vorik. She had expected to see him that morning, but he had not come. She swallowed her disappointment; he had work to do, no doubt.  
She set to work. She glanced at the date and time on top of the PADD screen and tried not to think too much of it. First, she started with recent history and searched for terrorist groups in the last four hundred years. She found what she was looking for. In the 21st century, Muggles had realized there was indeed a magical world, and Voldemort, arrogant as he was, eventually fell. She was glad. She cleaned the PADD, now wet with tears, and kept on reading. A new witch hunt rose and magicals were hunted again, their numbers dwindling. The next generations realized, too late, how wrong it all was, but the magical blood kept being diluted and diluted until, apparently, it was no more.  
Perhaps they hid again and later escaped towards the stars? If so, she would never find them.  
Hermione Granger was alone, and it was not a pleasant feeling.  
She kept reading the historical texts (more like summaries than anything else, compared to the dry tomes she was used to reading) like an automaton, and then started with holograms, by the end of the morning. She had noted that Vulcans were the first alien race to officially contact the Earth once they developed warp speed ability, so she thought of asking for more materials about said race and their world.  
Then, lunch came. A good looking blue-eyed blond man came in, carrying a tray for her, and introduced himself as Tom Paris.  
Dear Merlin! But he wouldn't shut up with the questions. At last, she snapped, sitting up too fast and vertigo insued, then diziness and she fell over her visitor.  
"Wow, easy there. You alright, Voyager?", she weakly glared at him, and Tom laughed. "You know, I have the feeling I'm not welcome anymore. God, don't lift your eyebrow like that, you look like Tuvok."  
Finally, he left, taking the empty tray with him. Hermione glared at the sliding doors, and blew air through her mouth. Feeling alone, once more, she kept on reading. Fascinating things, holograms; they weren't alive, but they sounded and looked like people. There were even holo-novels and holo-writers, but not all were good.

_I wonder if I could write something like that? How hard can it be? I must ask Ensign Vorik. It would be… cathartic… to write about Hogwarts._, she thought.

Hermione laid down on her bed, making herself comfortable, giving the PADD and her eyes a rest.

.-.-.-.

It had been a long shift in Engineering. Unlike other times, though, whenever someone missed a shift, Vorik would make do and replace said crewmember, but not today. This is was rare enough that when today, when he told Lt. Torres he would be otherwise occupied, she looked surprised.

"I hope it is not too much trouble, Lieutenant."

"No, it's not that. Are you feeling under the weather, Ensign?"

"No, no."

"Is it true what I've heard? That you've spent time with the young woman who just popped out of the Holo-Deck 2?"

"That is correct. She appears to have no recollection of how she came to be here, nor of her name, she can't speak, so communicates via PADD. I gave her several books to read…" B'Elanna laughed. "Is something wrong? She asked for it."

"She asked for it?"

"Yes, she is still recovering from her ordeal. She asked for reading material, specifically."

"Oh, well, a girl after your own heart, then. Very good, Ensign, go ahead and enjoy yourself."

Vorik went to his quarters to freshen up and then went to ask Neelix for a double tray.

"Well, Mr. Vorik, do you have anything particular in mind? I have Vulcan dishes and an Earth Indian curry. So boring, really, but…"

"I'll take a dish of each, please. I am not sure of Miss Voyager's tastes."

"Miss Vo-… Oh, you naughty Vulcan, you! You're going to have a romantic dinner, aren't you? In that case, since I'm finished here, I'm going with you!" He took a little trolley dinner, and set the cutlery, three covered food dishes and three bowls of dessert, napkins and the like. "There, all set. Lead the way, Mr. Vulcan."

"Hmpf."

Fifteen minutes later, with Neelix behind him, Vorik entered Voyager's quarters. Before he could greet her, the Talaxian started talking.

"Good evening, Miss Voyager. I hope you are feeling better. I brought you dinner and…", he trailed off, staring at the now bruised face of Voyager, sleeping on the bed. "Poor dear, she seems so…"

"Frail, and battered."

"Yes, who could have done this?"

"She doesn't remember."

Voyager stired, blinked her eyes for a couple of times, worked her jaw and smiled sleepily at Vorik, who was nearer. Then the Talaxian opened his mouth and started, once again, to speak.

"Good evening, Miss Voyager, I am Neelix, I am this ship's Talaxian guide, cook, morale officer and all-around handyman, and I've brought you dinner. Nice to meet you." Vorik cleaned his throat. Neelix looked at him, and then at Voyager, once more. "Actually, it was _his_ idea. I decided to come along, I was curious about you. I hope you enjoy dinner, it's just a curry and a little something, so it's a little boring…" She shook her head and grabbed her PADD.

_No, I love curry. Thank you. I appreciate it._

"Well, if you say so. But I can't take all the credit, Mr. Vulcan here wanted to bring some curry. Well, I'll leave you to your… dinner." The alien's eyes darted between the Vulcan and Voyager. As the Talaxian left, she rolled her eyes and lightly shook her head.

_Neelix is a curious character. Is he always so exuberant?_, she wrote.

"Indeed, he is. Most of the time." Voyager stared at him. "Always. Shall we?"

It was a very pleasant meal. Neelix had done a wonderful job, in Voyager's opinion, but Vorik advised her to be cautious as to what she ate at the mess. "Neelix tends to make strange and unadvisable combinations as far as food is concerned."

_I will follow your advice. Still, this is a nice meal. Perhaps I shall ask Neelix to make it every now and then, for my enjoyment and I'm sure the crew will enjoy it as well._, she wrote.

"Indeed." After piling things up in the trolley dinner, he found Voyager had sat crossed legged on the ground, on top of a pillow and he emulated her, placing himself beside her. "What have you read today?"

_History mostly. And holograms. Fascinating. I wonder if writing a holo-novel is difficult? _

"Not really. Most of them may be enjoyable if you simply wish a distraction, but they're not very good. The one's based on good books are better, of course. We have crew members who write them."

_I imagine it's a way to live out their dreams or fantasies, so many must be straight to the point._

"Yes."

She sighed.

_I believe I might write a holo-novel to pass the time. I will start reading medical texts soon enough, and after that, I will tackle engineering._

"Did you want to be a nurse or a doctor?"

_I think a lot of children dream of that, yes. Now, I'm not so sure. I don't want to sound cocky, but I'm not sure if it's challenging enough. People change as they grow up. I'd like to keep my options open, for now._

"A wise decision."

_Thank you. You are a Vulcan, aren't you?_

"Yes."

_I read about First Contact and Cochrane. I was wondering if you could bring me materials about Vulcans and your culture. I'm curious, you seem so interesting. I feel small and boring next to you._ She smiled.

"You are not small, and you are not boring either. I am honored to introduce you to Vulcan culture." He paused. "How are you feeling today?"

_Better physically. But that is all._

"Hmm. Oh, look at the time. I should go. I have a long shift tomorrow." They rose. "Goodnight, Miss Voyager." She bowed gracefully, and smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

She fingered one of her necklaces, shaped like an angel or a fairy, one might say. Very few people, at this day and age, would remember the old Lord of the Rings' movies, so they wouldn't exactly recognize it as a replica of the Evening Star. All of them had been concealed by charms and Voyager ached to activate just one, but dared not do it, not with the cortical monitor on her still.

So she read, and waited.

Never had she felt so challenged; humans had accomplished so much since the twentieth century, in all areas. Oh, she was certain people would still be people, but perhaps this time she wouldn't feel like she was watching from the other side of the glass, perhaps now she could, if not magically speaking, at least intellectually, reach her full potential. She would never give up her magic, but she was here for a reason.

All those years at Hogwarts had not been pointless; they had shaped her into who she was. Only two days later, a weakling would be crying still over spilt milk. But not Hermione; there would be plenty of time to later think about the past, and to mourn all who had been taken from her, all who had been left behind.

So she read, and waited.

More days came and went, and Vorik didn't come to see her. Neelix delivered her meals and she promised to go visit him to the mess once her cortical monitor was removed and she'd be able to come and go with more freedom of movement. That man needed, desperately, her old grandmother's waffle recipe. Not that she had said anything on the matter, as Hermione knew he'd never shut up about it. He might actually bribe her into divulging the recipe, and then he would turn a simple thing into something hazardous to the stomachs of the crew. Poor Doctor Grumpy.

There came the day when she finally went back to sickbay to remove the monitor.

"Oh, Miss Voyager. You just missed Ensign Vorik." Voyager cocked her head to the side and frowned. "Engineering has been very busy these last days. Quite a few were sick and there were a lot of shifts to make up for. They had a leak, so medical exams were necessary." She mouthed the Vulcan's name. "Ensign Vorik is now fine. Vulcans are quite strong, fortunately. He was anxious to get out of sickbay, he muttered something about sleeping and not seeing you for some time." Voyager wrote in her PADD.

_It's fine. I presumed he was busy, being an engineer. Besides, I was hoping, if everything is fine, I'd be able to go to the mess hall. I promised Neelix I would, if you remove the monitor. _

"And I will. I'd recommend taking it easy, but you recovered quite well, astonishingly fast. For a human, that is, and I'm quite certain you are one. DNA does not lie. I can't seem to explain your overly fast recovery, considering a week ago you were nearly dead." She shrugged and, with a few more recommendations, not ten minutes later, she was waiting in a line. It appeared Neelix was having a bad day, and the kitchen was a little slow as far as serving was concerned.

Some of the crewmembers in front and behind her were complaining about the slow service, so, after observing Neelix for a while, confident she could help him, she punched her offer for help into her PADD, stepped out of the line and approached the Talaxian.

"Oh, Miss Voyager! I'm sorry I haven't been to your quarters yet, but well… And should you be up and about, already? My! You look miraculously recovered, and so soon! I thought humans who took a beating like you did took longer to recover…", she grimaced at the attention she was getting from the crewmembers in front of the line and smiled at the Neelix. After some direction, Hermione adjusted herself to him and sooner than you might expect, there was no more line.

As she went to retrieve some of the dirty dishes for processing, she nearly bumped into a dark skinned Vulcan, older than Vorik. She gasped, surprised, and blushed a little.

"Miss Voyager", he began, "I am Tuvok. The Doctor informed me of your quick recovery. You are well?" She nodded. "Still, you should rest some more." She shook her head vehemently. "Very good. I would like to speak with you about career opportunities in this ship." She shook her head again, reaching for her PADD, and the Vulcan frowned.

_I am still studying. I've been dedicating myself to engineering these last few days, among other subjects, and I took the Academy tests, as I requested them to the Doctor, via Neelix, and I passed them._

"You… passed them?" the Vulcan officer took her PADD and his eyebrows rose. "Well, these results are quite good... Follow me." She waved a goodbye to Neelix and went after the Vulcan, down a corridor and into an elevator. Soon they were off it, and after a sliding door marked as "Engineering". Tuvok asked her to wait by the entrance, just inside Engineering and he went off to talk to an imposing female with some sort of ridges in her forehead. She did not seem too pleased, stress lined around her mouth. She looked overworked and a bit like herself before taking her OWLs, she chuckled. Then, Tuvok spoke to her and handed her Hermione's PADD, and her face expression changed, nodding. Another crewmember approached them and she spoke something to him. Hermione looked around and saw everybody was looking a little tired. No wonder, perhaps half of them were either spending time in their beds, recuperating, or visiting sickbay.

_So this is where Vorik, Ensign Vorik, works._, she thought.

"Miss Voyager, this is Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres.", Hermione gave her a little smile and a little bow, suddenly feeling smaller before this strange woman.

"Mr. Tuvok has shown me your impressive test results. You will follow Lieutenant Junior Ayala around Engineering and try to learn what he teaches you. We could use extra help, it hasn't been easy lately on the engineers."

Hermione's jaw dropped. Was this real? She had been given such a chance, so suddenly. She squared her shoulders and followed the man, trying to assimilate and learn as much as possible, all thoughts of Vorik slipping her mind. As Mr. Ayala finished his shift, and debriefed B'Elanna, Voyager waited and as he left, she went to speak to Lieutenant Torres.

"As Mr. Ayala's shift is over, you may go." Her stomach decided, then and there, to growl. "As a matter of fact, I'm done here, so how about some early dinner?", both smiled at each other and left. They met a human crewmember. "Oh, Ensign Laktaw. This is Miss Voyager."

"Lieutenant Torres. Miss Voyager."

"I will see you later. All preparations are complete.", said Torres. Faced with the Ensign's surprised _already?_ she added, "Miss Voyager helped us in Engineering today, believe it or not. She appears to have a knack for it."

"Really? That is a relief, Lieutenant, especially if it helps with the workload. Thank you!", she chuckled at Laktaw's response.

And off they went to dinner. Voyager noticed B'Elanna was respected by the others and had a quick wit, although she seemed a bit impatient in the elevator, when they left the ship's mess, which made Voyager look a little curious and amused.

"Well, it's my Klingon temper, sometimes I can't help it.", the Lieutenant said. "Vorik has spoken highly of you." Voyager cocked her head to her left and then to the right. "Believe me, that is quite a compliment, considering it comes from a Vulcan. I have known Ensign Vorik for nearly two years and he is a good judge of character." Voyager's lips trembled and she froze. "What is it?"

_I just… it's nice to feel appreciated._ She paused her writing._ I never expected to start working anywhere in this ship so soon, even with such tight supervision, which I completely understand. You all honor me with such trust. I hardly understand why. I just popped out of nowhere._

"Yes, but you are the first human we encountered in the Delta Quadrant, and you couldn't injure yourself by your own volition, you were a victim, that is clear. You've been holding up very well, indeed. And with such a brain, you couldn't fake being dumb. Miss Voyager, you've done very well today, you will be an asset to this ship and crew. Just keep at it, and if you have any problems, know we are here for you." Voyager nodded and gave the half-Klingon a little bow. "Now that's new. I've never been bowed to!" the officer laughed. "Well, do you want to go to your quarters?" Voyager shook her head and paused, frowning.

_I would like to see the place where you found me, please._

"If you're sure."

_I am._

Minutes later, they were at the Holodeck.

"There was a program running but nobody has managed to understand how that came to be. It's like it never existed. Does the room joggle your memory?"

_No. How does the Holodeck work?_

"Computer, run Tropical Resort Simulation 3." Voyager stared at a luxurious retreat. "There, Neelix created this holodeck program, and I, along with Lieutenant Tom Paris and Harry Kim, introduced some elements from Earth's resorts."

_It's very nicely done! I would love to create something like this, although different._ She frowned.

"What is it? Have you remembered something?"

_A dark forest. _B'Elanna frowned. _The forest wasn't always dark. There was a lake, too._

"You are already remembering some things. Maybe in time you will remember all of it, and your voice will come back."

_Yes. Your temper, for instance, reminded me someone._

"Really?"

_A ginger haired young man. He had a sister and twin brothers._

"See? You're doing very well." She looked at the back of Voyager's hand. "What is this?" The young human stood and shook her head. "I didn't mean to pry." The young witch nodded.

_I'm remembering things that are unpleasant. The Doctor said it might be therapeutic to write about it._

"Then you should. Why don't you write a holodeck novel for yourself? Or just create a place that's yours. You can place or remove characters at your will, even keep people from making modifications to your characters. Just make sure you have security protocols enabled. Even a holobullet can kill."

_Thank you, Lieutenant. I will. If you don't mind, I think I will find a quiet place around here and start at it._

"You should rest, Miss Voyager. Or, at least, don't strain yourself. I expect to see you back in Engineering in twelve hours." The human smiled and went to find a place to sit by the artificial sun. The whole place was clean and cheery, and looked very much like a Hawaiian resort. One young lady, a holographic one, approached Hermione with some drinks, which she denied, setting herself to start writing a holoprogram.

An hour passed quickly and Voyager was still playing with her PADD. She had no problem remembering details from her past. She no longer had problems with the Statute of Secrecy, so it was rather pointless to hide such a story from the world. She didn't divulge the exact locations of the places she once knew, which was as easy as changing the scenery, but much was the same. Last names were altered, until only Harry's, Ron's and hers were the only real matches. In the end, she had thought to change Bellatrix Lestrange's countenance, but refrained; she was dead, and running from the dead wouldn't help her. She sighed as she saw Tom Paris sitting in front of her.

"So, new girl, how's it hanging?" she stared at him. "I heard you surprised everybody in Engineering. The guys from the night shift are going to worship you,", she looked questioningly at him, "oh, they've been working like crazy ever since the last attack. They appreciate every helping hand right now. What are you working on?" she pointed at the room in general. "Holoprogram?" she nodded. "I can help you with that." They rose and he deactivated the current program, since they were now the only ones in the deck. Voyager gave him her PADD, and after a minute the blonde man spoke. "Not bad for your first time ever. But I don't see any characters and you've been at it for quite some time." She shrugged.

"Maybe she's keeping them for herself, while she works at it."

"Hey, Harry. Voyager, this is Harry Kim." Hermione paused at the name, which Tom noticed, without comment, and they shook hands.

"So, what is it about?", asked Kim. Tom reached the controls, and transferred the program into the system. A dark forest surrounded them.

"I can't see a damn thing!", said Paris. "Computer," he began, only to stop.

A small light grew until it illuminated all three; the men keeping their fleet uniforms on, while Hermione had those old fashioned clothes on, similar to what she had been wearing when she appeared at the holodeck. Straight leg drawstring trousers, a tunic, and boots, along with a hooded cloak, all in black. The light was emanating from a single stick she held in her hand.

"This is giving me the creeps.", whispered Kim.

"Come on, it's a holoprogram. It's just a little different from what you are used to."

"Yeah, but still."

"You'll have to name it, Voyager.", she smirked, took her PADD and named it "Voyager's Forbidden Forest."

"It's got a ominous ring to it. Congratulations on your first holoprogram.", said Paris. "Now, Computer, …"

"Oh, my GOD!", yelled Kim. Voyager had just become trapped with some kind of plant.

"What the?", said Tom, watching Voyager relaxing against the plant's grip, and then sliding gently to the ground. "Computer, what the hell was that?!"

"Devil Snare, plant existing only in the current program. It has the ability or strangle anything in its surrounding environment or something that happens to touch it. Relaxing against it, will release its prisoner, and the application of sun or fire will have the same effect.", replied the cool voice.

"O-kay.", Harry turned at the young woman. "You could have killed yourself.", she snorted.

"Not in a million light-years, Harry. Security protocols were activated, and… what was that."

"I don't like the way she's smiling at us, Tom. Tom, I think I heard something too." Kim looked around him, and saw a tall dark body approaching.

"Humm… is that a giant spider?", asked Paris. "Who cares, I'm out of HERE!"

"Me too!"

Hermione chuckled at the two rapidly retreating men, yelling like girls, and faced the Acromantula, vanishing it.

"That was different, Miss Voyager." She turned to face Mr. Tuvok. "Is this place all like this?" At her more-or-less signal, he spoke. "I suppose no-one asked you, but we could use another able person working in Engineering, if you wouldn't mind, at least for a few more days." At Voyager's smile and nod, he continued. "I have heard you got along with Ensign Vorik, but I'm afraid you will not be able to socialize with him for a few more days until the situation is under control again, since your schedules will be too different. However, since you are human, I have no doubt you will have no difficulties socializing, in spite of your problem." She nodded. "Report back to me in 2 days. Leave the program running. You are dismissed."

As the human left, Tuvok turned on the spot.

"Computer, lights, medium." The flora was diversified, based on Earth standards, but there were many curious species. "Fascinating." The older Vulcan asked the computer for several information on the plants he could not identify, and they all began with "plant existing only in the current program". Miss Voyager had a fertile imagination. He deducted the stick she held might have been some remote control to make up for her lack of voice; carrying a PADD all the time might prove troublesome after a while.

He thought nothing more of it and left.


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you for reading/following this story, and for your reviews and favorites! Here we go.

**Chapter 4**

Hermione let herself fall on top of the bed, having just come out of a sonic shower. She took hold of a charm in one of her necklaces and kissed it, making it grow into a pouch bag, and retrieved two wands from it. She smiled at her wand. Before the beating in the forest, she had been using a spare; knowing she would be captured, and so she hid her wand and the Elder wand.

Harry Potter was dead, and she was now the Master of Death.

It was a strange thing. So many wizards coveted the Hallows and they ended up in the hands of a Mudblood. Bellatrix Lestrange would be turning in her grave if she could.

Bitch.

It had been oddly satisfying to see her die, after deflecting her Killing Curse.

She had become perfect at non-verbal spells, unlike Harry. She had also managed some wandless magic. She had tried apparating from her bed to her bathroom and she had succeeded. Doctor Grumpy had done a few more medical scans, to which she subjected herself without complaint. The Doctor appreciated it. _You are probably one of the most cooperative and obedient patients I have in this ship, Miss Voyager_, he said.

She had learned it the hard way. Plus, the stronger the body, the stronger the magic casting.

She took a pillow and sat beside her bed, preparing to meditate. She wondered when she would see Vorik again, but let the thought pass, like a breeze. She visualized her mental barriers, and retreated further and further into herself, occluding.

Outside of her quarters, Vorik frowned, why were her quarters sealed?

"Computer, is Miss Voyager in her quarters?"

"Affirmative."

"Have you notified her of my presence more than once?"

"Affirmative."

Was she, perhaps, angry at him for not socializing with her in the past days? She had been seen with Neelix, B'Elanna, Paris and Kim. It seemed she no longer needed him, nor wanted his company. He closed his eyes and lowered his head at this thought, and turned to leave.

Then the doors to her quarters opened. Voyager beamed at him; perhaps she had just been busy. Then she did something unexpected; he was enveloped in a warm, tight hug, short in duration, and she dragged him into her quarters.

Her radiant smile diminished and she took her PADD.

_Why are the tips of your ears and your cheeks slightly green? Is that how Vulcans blush?_

"Yes." He blurted, uncharacteristically. "How have you been?"

_Well. We have both been so busy in Engineering, I see you, yet I don't see you anymore!_

"You are efficient, and creative at what you do; it is good to have you with us."

_I'm glad. I like you all. It's a pleasant working environment._

"You do not find it stressful?"

_All work, combined with a lack of sleep and cranky crewmates creates stress. You learn to live with it. I'm loving it, despite everything. This ship is like a box of chocolates._

"A box of chocolates.", he repeated. What did an inanimate object have to do with food?

_Yes_.

"Why?"

_Life is like a box of chocolates, Vorik. You never know what you're going to get. Every day here is different, challenging._

"True." He paused, understanding, and then frowned.

_What?_

"Your quarters were sealed."

_I'm sorry for keeping you waiting. I was meditating._

"And yet, the computer notified you several times, and you did not answer."

_I can meditate more deeply than most people._

"Ah." Curiouser, and curiouser she became at his eyes. This unassuming little human female was most intriguing, different from all the rest. "I took a few minutes of my time, yesterday, to access your holodeck program. Voyager's Forbidden Forest."

_Oh, but I bet you weren't scared in the least. Vulcans are so formidable_. She smiled widely at him. _Was it fascinating? Did you like the odd plants?_

"Yes, it was interesting. I could do without the giant spider, though. I also noticed you set the parameters so no-one alters it. A wise decision.", he paused. "Mr. Tuvok's programs end up being altered every once in a while. I don't know how they manage it without being caught."

_They?_

"Neelix, Paris, Kim. I suppose they find it humorous. Which is why I must congratulate you." She cocked her head. "They have been unable to alter your program, despite their numerous attempts."

_What did you find in the program? What did you see?_

"The forest only, but I felt I kept going back into the same place."

_Good. You didn't find it._

"Find what?" she smiled mysteriously; he perked up, standing straighter, his curiosity was peaked. "What did you do?"

_I might show you… next time we can actually spend some quality time together._

"Hmpf."

_It's a nice surprise. I think. At least there is nothing more that bites you… much._

A chime sounded then. Tom Paris appeared, which made Voyager's eyebrows rise.

_What is he doing here?_

"Yes, if I may ask, what are you doing here, Lieutenant?", asked Vorik, getting up from his seat.

"Oh, just wondering if the lovely Miss Voyager would care for a bit of a rendez-vous this evening, under moonlight on Holodeck..." Such declaration was met with a pillow thrown into his face.

"I believe that is a universal no, Lieutenant.", the Vulcan noted, with a certain satisfaction.

"Oh, I think I understood that, Ensign.", he paused. "Well, maybe if we could just…"

_RED ALERT! RED ALERT!_

"This is the Captain speaking. We are under Kazon attack. Battle stations." Voyager rose.

"No, Voyager, you stay here." Tom turned on his heel and left her quarters.

"The Voyager has faced many attacks before you came. I will go to Engineering now. Stay here."

She sighed and complied. A few minutes after the Vulcan's exit, the ship shook. Hermione tensed on her bed, and sat. What to do? If the ship blew up, she'd die along the rest of the crew. Voyager had escape pods and Hermione's quarters were located on deck eight, which had escape pod access. She took a deep breath and retrieved her pouch bag from underneath her bed. Opening it, she quickly put on her dragon-hide combat armor, slipped her wand into her inner arm holster and laid herself under her bed. She closed her eyes and waited, at first. Then, casting a couple of wards around her body, as well as disillusioning herself, Hermione sent out her consciousness four decks below. (AN – We now start on _Basics I_, a Season 2 episode).

Invisible to all, she walked among the frantic staff. Fires had started in this deck. The ship shook. Voyager trembled and her spirit rose towards engineering. B'Elanna was speaking to the Captain, they were going to try something with the holo-projectors and create Talaxian ships? Hermione hadn't participated in that but she had noticed B'Elanna and Vorik working on it. Now, the Doctor was hesitating and later he simply disappeared, only to reappear again, yelling and bitching about not having run a last systems check. Hermione felt like giggling; you just had to love these people.

The ship shook again, and Hermione's spirit was catapulted back into her body, her wards protecting her from an explosion on her deck. Though her bed moved upfront and her body underneath it was saved, thanks to her simple wards, the walls on both sides were not, sporting a big hole.

If Hermione had been conscious, she would have known a Kazon named Tierna had killed himself, exploding on her deck, causing the loss of a primary plasma conduit; that there was a power failure, and that B'Elanna had lost power to the holodeck grid and couldn't restore it. The reactant's injector controls were hit as well, so they couldn't go to warp either. Then it all went to hell. The ship was then boarded through the shuttle bays, and the Kazon quickly reached the Bridge and hounded, like cattle, all of the living crew.

Or so they thought.

At least another… tenant of deck eight survived also among his array of now dead plants, and climbed into the nearest conduit, hiding as well as he could.

Maje Culluh of the Kazon Nistrim, of course, had a supposedly fitting end for a crew who wouldn't share its technology nor weaponry; and left our dear crew in a system called Hanon, and proceeded, at all haste, with the much needed repairs to the Voyager.

And it is then that our resident witch reawakes.

She would have moaned and bitched about her headache if she could, but she heard gravelly voices, of men approaching her rooms. Her disillusionment in place, she accio'ed her pouch bag and PADD, and apparated to the undamaged conduit above her.

"What was that?"

"I don't know.", they said to each other, phasers in hand. Hermione waited, lying down on the conduit, and heard them searching the quarters and rearranging the sparse furniture, removing the debris. Boasting about the crew's fate. Hanon?, she thought. Where the fuck is that? And if they had all been taken… she was alone.

Or maybe not. _Remember_, _Hermione_, she told herself, _bully's love to brag, and they often underestimate the one's they bully_. Maybe Vorik, for instance, had also escaped and was hiding in the ship. Who knew? _Please let Vorik still be in the ship_.

She could do this.

She just had to get to sickbay. Perhaps the Doctor would be able to help or gather more information. Hermione didn't have a comm badge, she was so far a mute after all, what was the point of it? She just needed to backpedal, regroup, think of a plan. She had a wand, but she didn't think nicking a phaser or two would be a bad idea. Or grabbing some extra grub and not touch her pouch bag's food supply. She would have to be fast, though, if they were already repairing the ship. And there was the matter of detection.

Hours later, after a quick meal and a lot of circumventing her enemies, Hermione finally reached sickbay and quickly put to use an extendable ear. The Doctor had been activated by a woman named Seska. He was being exceedingly polite with her, which nearly worried Hermione, until she heard him making his log entry, sighing in relief. She silently approached the Doctor and undid the concealment spell. The Doctor did a double take.

"Miss Voyager!", she exhaled shakily, relieved, her eyes filled with tears.

"Vorik?", she muttered, throatily.

"You spoke.", he smiled bitterly, and paused. "I am sorry, Miss Voyager. But I don't think anyone…", she glared angrily through her tears. "Fair enough. Computer, what is the crew complement?".

There were eighty nine Kazon, one Betazoid and a human on board.

"Betazoid?", she whispered.

"Where? Who?"

"Please restate a simple question.", said the computer.

"Who is it?!"

"Crewman Lon Suder."

"Suder. Where is he?"

"Between decks eight and nine."

"Doctor to Suder.", he touched his comm badge.

"Yes! Yes, Doctor, I hear you.", a man's voice responded over the comm.

"The ship has been taken over by the Kazon-Nistrim."

"I know. I've been hiding.", replied Suder.

"Can you make it to Sickbay?"

"I think so.", said Suder.

Then the Doctor removed Suder's comm badge signature from the system, as well as his record of ever being on board.

"Miss Voyager. Perhaps I should give you something to calm you down."

"No.", she replied, lowly, unused to speak. "No drugs. Need to be alert. Must wait for Suder."

"We are going to need weapons.", she gave them to the Doctor. "Oh, two phasers, a tricorder. A sandwich?"

"For Suder. Finish your log entry. Need to think." As the Doctor went into his office, Hermione thought about placing wards. They would have to be subtle. Flicking her wand discreetly a couple of times, and she was done. She would be able to know if the Doctor had company or not, and if that Seska or any of the crew set foot there. Then, she took a couple of pieces of debris she had in her pocket and transfigured them into a necklace, simple sterling silver with a pendant shaped like a dragon, making it a permanent transfiguration, and she quickly loaded it with tracking, protecting and stamina boosting spells. Whoever Suder was, he would need it. She finished it with a variation of _repello inimicum,_ mixing it with a mild confounding spell and she was done.

"What are you doing, Miss Voyager? What were those lights?"

"Now is not a good time, Doctor. Please. Just don't comment this with anyone. Don't register it in any record either. It's for Suder and the crew's sake, I promise."

"Very well.",he sighed.

"Who is Lon Suder?"

"He's a Betazoid who just happens to be a sociopath.", she stared. "He killed a crewmember and has been held in his quarters ever since."

"You fear he might not want the crew back. So he avoids his punishment.", she frowned.

"Yes.", the Doctor answered.

"The Kazon hate the Federation, yes?"

"Yes."

"He is, was Federation. To the Kazon, once Federation, always Federation.", she swallowed. "And if not, they might think he is not trustworthy. If you betray a master once, what stops you from doing it again?"

"He is taking so long.", said the Doctor.

"He is already here."

"What? How…"

"I'm here. How did you know?", said Suder.

"I did, and it's all that matters.", she answered. "I am Voyager."

"Thank you, for defending me. I do want the crew back, it's just…"

"Miss Voyager has retrieved two phasers and a tricorder.", he gave Suder the tricorder and a phaser.

"You seem weary, Lon Suder.", he fidgeted at her words. "You fear facing them?", the man swallowed.

"I've worked so, so hard over the last few months to control the violent feelings. I'm almost at peace with myself. I mean, I see the day coming when I could be.", Voyager took his hand and put the necklace in it.

"For you, for luck. It's a gift, keep it.", the Betazoid took the necklace and put it on, underneath his clothing. "Those people took me in, a stranger, treated me with kindness. I am not going to lose this chance of having friends, a family of sorts. We are going to take this ship and get our crew back. And I'm going to help you, Crewman.", he swallowed again, nervous.

"Miss Voyager… tell me, what is that, hanging on your right shoulder?", asked the Doctor.

"It's a katana."

"And, what do you intend to do with that? Exactly?"

"Spill some Kazon blood, if needed. Really, Doctor. It's rather obvious what a sword is for.", she turned to Suder. "You two need to monitor communications in the ship, keep and eye on what they're doing. I'm going to hole up in Holodeck two and prepare diversion maneuvers. They are going to find out they have intruders soon enough, once you start tampering with the equipment. If you kill someone… I'll take care of the body. Just signal me through the comm badge before you do anything.", she taped a badge she had taken from a dead crewmember. "Try your best to keep a low profile. Don't start sabotaging just yet. If they start hunting you down, come find me there."

She then turned and went back into the access tunnel.

"I wonder what her concept of diversion is.", dryly stated the Doctor.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you for reading/following this story, and for your reviews and favorites! Here we go.

**Chapter 5**

He was glad the human woman was, in a way, on his side. Neelix always delivered his meals but they didn't talk much, and Tuvok never mentioned Voyager. It was to be expected, after all.

There was something different in him, now. He had been extraordinarily lucky, so far. He also didn't feel as tired as before.

He spied the Engineering room. He longed to adjust the antimatter flow, but he would do as Voyager asked. He hid and touched his comm badge. "Suder to Voyager."

"Yes."

"I want to adjust the antimatter flow."

"The injector will freeze. They will probably realize no-one adjusted it today and that there is an intruder. No, not yet."

"It's been two hours! We need to slow down the ship, we.."

"The Doctor just told me Paris escaped. There will be a Talaxian attack and you'll need to get the computer to block the discharge from the backup phaser power couplings. That means either you, me or both of us will need to go into Engineering, which is packed with Kazon. Meet me in Holodeck two as soon as you can."

"So we do nothing?!"

"Oh, not exactly. I just planted a surprise in a destroyed plant lab on deck eight."

"Those were my quarters.", he frowned.

"Don't come near them. If by some chance you are captured by a giant, wiggling, constricting plant, use your phaser or simply relax against its hold; it will release you. See you on holodeck two. You will be asked for a password. Just say your name out loud. Voyager out."

He fumed. He just wanted to do something for the ship. Yet, he was also curious about this plant she spoke of. He had become very interested in floriculture and he didn't know any plant in the entire known universe which did that. It sounded more like an animal than plant.

Thirty minutes later, he was on Holodeck two. He had just avoided two Kazon, and the deck was empty. He took a couple of steps and felt the temperature drop significantly, followed by a whisper.

"Password?"

"Lon Suder.", he whispered back, looking around him. As he turned his back again, an old oak door was sliding up from the floor and opened up, revealing plants and a dirty path. Phaser in hand, he entered and the door slammed closed behind him.

"Welcome, Mr. Suder."

"Miss Voyager.", fuck, she was fast. And silent.

"Just call me Voyager. Please come with me."

The woman guided him to a hut and started arming herself with several knifes.

"While you came here I've been sabotaging the ship."

"What! But you told me not to!"

"Yes, but I've been tampering with non-essential systems. The idea is to keep as many Kazon busy as possible _at the same time_. And annoy them. Make their food disappear or make it too salty or too cooked to eat. That sort of thing. Wear them down, until the attack. The funny thing is that, once they fix the problems, they come right back up, as if they had done nothing.", he stared. How did she manage to do all of it in under two hours?

"Time frame?"

"Every thirty minutes. In the meantime, my plant, Devil's Snare, will keep growing. Of course they'll figure out phasers are a partial solution, but they haven't yet. My plant has already put twenty Kazon out of commission. At least twenty more were feeling under the weather and are feeling like death froze over as they've been having… trouble… finding sickbay."

His jaw dropped. From 89 Kazon, they now only had to worry with nearly half, scattered along a big ship.

"Now, what have you found out?"

"That's why they are so busy. And distracted.", he muttered.

"Yes, I expect you didn't have any run-ins with the present crew." The Betazoid shook his head, his dark eyes glimmering. "Good. The Talaxians must be coming soon. The Kazon won't immediately think the plant was, well, placed by an intruder, because it originated on the deck the explosion occurred. They'll think it broke the plant out of containment."

"Which leaves 49 Kazon scattered along the ship. Seska will be near the Bridge with Culluh. Along with four or five, maybe six, more Kazon."

"We only have to worry about Engineering, really. Still, it is best if we were to improve our odds."

"What do you propose?"

"Well… I was thinking about drawing them here. I believe the Acromantulas won't mind being fed. Kazon might be a little harder to digest, but…"

"Acromantulas?", he asked, incredulous.

"Giant spiders. The hairy, carnivorous type."

"Unreal…", he muttered. "I wonder where you get these ideas from?"

"You'd be surprised.", she smirked. "Now… we are going to need live bait. They need to be lured in… Hmm…"

"I'll go. Please. I want to do something for the ship."

"Allright. Don't get caught, though. Maybe you could sabotage something in Engineering, now. It'll draw their attention. Or do what you feel it's necessary. Simply try to get half a dozen Kazon to follow you. Once you get in here, activate Voyager's Forbidden Forest program. I will make some changes to it, so nothing bad will happen to you. You will be guided out of the deck, once they are in too deep."

"That's all?"

"Don't worry, not a single one of them will be alive when it's over. And they won't be able to deactivate the program, or use their comm badges. I assure you."

"I'd pity them, if I could."

"I'm bringing Vorik, and the crew back. No matter what.", she paused. "Any questions?"

"No.", she touched his shoulder.

"Good luck. If you need help, don't be afraid to call out."

"All right.", he turned and left the hut. It looked like night had fallen, but little flowers were opening along his trek and lightening his way. It was a pretty picture. If he survived, he would ask Voyager about them.

There were no Kazon on that corridor. It no longer surprised him, considering the amount of trouble Voyager had been creating lately. He hid from two men getting out of the turbolift and called them.

"After him!", they yelled. He led them on a chase, trying to gather as many as possible. The alarm sounded.

'Intruder. Alert. Intruder. Alert.'

He had 5 or 6 Kazon behind him, and nearly missed two just as he entered the Holodeck.

"Activate program. Voyager's Forbidden Forest." The little glowing flowers were guiding him in the dark, and he ran and hid as fast as he could.

"In here!", more Kazon were being drew in. With luck, they would be around 10, now. He ran again, and didn't look back when he started hearing shouts, phaser blasts and screams of pain.

He ran towards a door and he was, once again, alone in the Holodeck. He shivered.

Then he hid in a Jeffrey tube and crawled near Engineering, calling Voyager.

"It's done."

"I know. Eleven more we don't need to worry about. We make a formidable pair." There was a thump, the ship moved. "I can't contact the Doctor. I'm near Engineering. I am going to walk in there, Suder, and you are going to seal the door manually."

"But…"

"No buts. The attack has begun. If I fail, it's up to you. Honorable Federation officers would never let a crewmate die alone like that, so they won't expect a second attack in the same place so soon. You know what to do. Voyager out."

And so he did as told. He still couldn't believe his luck. The corridor was a little cold, like the Holodeck had been, and he sealed her in with the Kazon. He hid and managed to enter Engineering, discreetly. He watched the human.

She moved gracefully. She yielded her katana superbly, slicing them across their abdomens, their backs, their main arteries on the neck, dodging phaser blasts and delivering a few of her own. There was so much blood all over the floor. Two of them slipped on it and hit their heads.

Voyager then stopped, all her opponents' dead. For good measure, she quickly hit all of them with phaser blasts, and only then did she approach the console. Hitting a few commands, it was done.

"You can come out now, Suder." She looked at him, cool as a cucumber. "You look disturbed."

"I never saw a human fight like you." She nodded. Both of them made themselves busy. "The Kazon are abandoning the ship.", she kept silent for a minute.

"I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Voyager, wait!", he called. But she was already leaving through the Jeffries tube. "Where are you going?"

"Loose strings. Don't worry."

She crawled into the Jeffries tube and soon reached the Engineering entrance, and unsealed it. Moving towards the turbolift, she soon reached deck eight. Stepping over the dead Kazon, she flicked her wand, vanishing the bodies along with the Devil's Snare, repeating the process in the other affected decks. She apparated directly into sickbay and removed the wards she had set hours ago.

"What now?" she noticed one of the control panels were damaged, and cast a _Reparo_. Accessing it, she brought the Doctor back.

"Thank goodness, Miss Voyager. They…", she interrupted him.

"I'm sorry, Doctor, but we have already retaken the ship. The Kazon are gone. We are heading towards Hanon system. You're going to have your hands full, soon enough."

"No rest for the weary…", he grumbled.

"Indeed. I'm going to sort out the mess hall. People will need to eat, and I don't even know if Neelix… survived. Excuse me. I'll come back to help you when I can.", she turned her back to the Doctor and left.

Once there, she lifted the curses she had cast on the place. She smirked. She waved her wand and started on some very basic scrambled (giant) eggs. Thank Merlin for Mrs. Weasley's insistence on household charms. She preferred Muggle style cooking, but she didn't have the time. Turning her back on the counter, she scourgified the whole place, leaving squeaky clean. Pausing, she checked the eggs, cooked part of them (leaving plenty to spare and feed a small army) and placed ten of them on a trolley, under a stasis charm, directing it towards Engineering entrance, using a spell very much like the internal mail in the Ministry of Magic. She ate one other dose, and took two others with her, along with two pieces of fruit. Heading toward the Bridge, she found Tom Paris frantically trying to place everything in order, multitasking.

"Voyager! God, I'm so glad to see you. Can you believe it, Suder's handling the ship's engines, but it's getting a little too much for him. I can handle the Bridge. Will you help him? Where have you been?" she gave him a plate. "I'm not supposed to eat while… oh, okay, okay, no need to glare at me like that. I'm eating, I'm eating… Hmm, hmm, 's good stff.", she grimaced and handed him the fruit, turned on her heels and fled to Engineering. The man was eating like Ron Weasley.

"Eat, take a break.", she gave Suder his meal. "Don't argue. You're going to need your strength. We'll stay until the engineers come. When they do, you'll greet them outside, while I stay here. I left some food there."

"They'll want to get to work.", she snorted.

"We'll see if they can resist a properly cooked meal, after spending so many hours in a cold inhospitable planet. Besides, they'll have to huff and puff if they want to clear this place enough to work properly.", she sighed. "I made quite a mess."

"Yes, but if we have the ship back, it's thanks to you."

"And you, you were also very important, Mr. Suder. No, stop shaking your head! I know what it's like to be alone against the world, and it's… disturbing to me. You might not have killed Kazons but your presence helped me. I wasn't so alone, and…", she paused. "Let's just move a couple of bodies out of the way, shall we?"

"All right.", he answered.


	6. Chapter 6

As requested from one of my dear reviewers.

**Chapter 6**

The crew paused, looking at the sky, their ship, their home, which had kept them all together for so long, was leaving.

They had all been taken from their posts and guided to a cargo bay. Vorik heard the crew speak about Hanon. Resting against a wall on the cargo bay, he tried to rest while he could; there was no way to know what expected them, but it would not be, logically, a good situation.

Once in Hanon IV, their comm badges were taken, one by one, and abandoned. The crew was divided into teams and their struggle for survival thus began. As all of the crew walked up towards a range of hills, looking for a protected clearing, he paused and looked ahead and behind him.

"What is it?", asked Kes. "Are you looking for someone?"

"I was wondering where Miss Voyager is."

"I haven't seen her.", she said.

"I haven't seen her either", said Hogan, an officer who was walking beside them. "What was her deck?"

"She was in deck eight.", the human shrugged.

"Beats me. I was in deck three when we were boarded."

"Thank you.", the Vulcan replied.

Night fell. All struggled to keep warm. It was hard to be close to others, but he had no choice on the matter. Perhaps, like Paris, she escaped?

The sun rose. He went to B'Elanna, who stood beside Captain Janeway.

"I've checked, and I'm sure she is not here, Vorik.", the Lieutenant told him. "Her quarters were in deck eight, right?", Vorik nodded. "Oh…"

"What is it?", he frowned.

"Tierna somehow smuggled some sort of explosive device into the ship, and his quarters… They were also on deck eight. I'm sorry.", she said, looking sad.

"She was one the most intriguing human beings I ever met, with rather impressive technical skills." he answered, a minute later. "Perhaps she escaped the Kazon."

"Perhaps."

The Captain reminded him, Tom Paris had escaped in a shuttle, so there was still hope. A hope Vorik didn't cling to. What would a shuttle do in enemy territory? Paris would have to ask for help, but the Talaxians might be too afraid to act against a Federation ship.

She was gone.

Never again would he see her smile at her PADD, while reading and asking questions about warp cores, or sighing while sampling Neelix's curry. Or smiling at him.

He had been helping Mr. Tuvok with making bows and arrows. And then Kes and Neelix were taken.

She was gone. An irrational spark in him sprung, told him it was not so, which was illogical.

Perhaps the planet's air was affecting his reasoning. He wished he could meditate for a while, but he had to keep close to others. It was not safe.

He remembered that moment she threw a pillow right in Paris' face and his lips twisted. Or that first time they shared a meal together.

Time passed. A volcano erupted, and there were lava rivers everywhere. His arm and hand were burnt.

He thought of that one time he went into her Forbidden Forest holoprogram, and remembered her secretive, mischievous smile, promising things to him.

At long last, their ship flew down the atmosphere towards the crew. He had had enough of this place, yet he also did not wish to return to a place where he could not find her.

He shook his head. He must find a moment, once all was in order in Engineering, to visit her quarters and pay his respects. Would her quarters still hold some of her personal items? Perhaps he would be able to keep one. He sounded like a human.

Once inside the ship, he told B'Elanna he would go to sickbay to treat his arm and hand, and would join them shortly. There, too, would be memories of her.

He sat on the same place she had lain down when he had seen her for the very first time. And when he went to Engineering, he shoved down some sustenance like an automaton, and noticed Crewman Suder being led away, most likely to the Brig.

He vaguely nodded to his comment, frowning at it.

"Miss Voyager will be glad to see you alive."

Passing the Engineering doors, he was still processing what the Betazoid had said and saw… her.

Bloody and with an equally bloody sword, talking to B'Elanna Torres. Alive. He took notice of several dead Kazon and of her look towards him, her face paling. His heart beat wildly and he approached them, taking a deep breath and calming down.


	7. Chapter 7

Hermione's not turning into a Borg Queen... Yet! :-Þ

I understand many of you probably do not appreciate me taking so many liberties with this series, but hey, this is fanfiction! Enjoy.

**Chapter 7**

"They're here.", said Suder. He noticed Voyager tensed up. "You have nothing to be afraid of. The Captain will understand."

"Lon… Please get busy. Or go greet them. Whatever.", she restarted her work, and cursed, realizing she was at Vorik's station.

"Voyager. I am glad to see you alive.", she turned to face Torres. "We all hoped Tom had escaped, and when no-one said they had seen you, we believed the worst had..."

"Hello, B'Elanna.", she smiled nervously, interrupting the officer.

"You're looking a little bloody. And it's good to finally hear your voice.", Voyager looked at her armour, heavily streaked with blood.

"Thank you. I knew you were coming back. You're too stubborn to die.", the half-Klingon laughed. "Vorik?"

"He's in sickbay, treating a burn. Nothing too serious, don't worry.", she fidgeted. "Really."

"B'Elanna, I… I killed **a lot** of Kazon." The Lieutenant paused and then smiled.

"If it wasn't for you and Tom, we'd still be on Hanon IV.", she smiled. "And I'm sure if it wasn't them, lying on the floor right now, it would be you. Think about our lives, lives you saved."

"I know. Still, I..."

"Look, here comes Vorik.", she frowned at the human's pale countenance, now staring at the ground.

"What must he think of me?", she whispered.

"Miss Voyager. It is good to see you.", she nodded, tongue-tied. "It is unfortunate that our deck is in such a state, but that is indeed far preferable to Hanon IV's conditions. I thank you for your service.", she nodded again, licking her dry lips, her eyes filling with tears.

"You really mean that?", he was silent for a few seconds, after hearing her voice for the first time, his dark eyes quickly gleaming like a beam in the dark, and then he replied.

"Of course.", he frowned. "I do not lie."

"You look terrible. The Hanon IV' look doesn't agree with you.", he frowned some more, and she came closer to him, looking him in the eye. "I thought of you often. I was so worried. I am so glad to see you again, alive and in one piece. It's good to have you back. The Voyager is not the same without you." Had his nostrils flared, or was she imagining things?

"That was really sweet.", teased B'Elanna. "Maybe now we can go meet the Captain. Laktaw, Vorik. You two are in charge of Engineering."

"Vorik…", Hermione reached for her sheathed sword and held it horizontally. "Keep it for me, please."

"Of course.", he respectfully took the weapon.

Sooner than she had hoped, Voyager and Suder were in the ready room.

"Well. What can you tell me? Mr. Paris told me you brought him some food, Miss Voyager, and that you helped Mr. Suder in Engineering. But I'd like to know more."

"I woke up, I don't know how long after the explosion. I kept to the Jeffries tubes and met the Doctor in sickbay. I had hoped Ensign Vorik had escaped, but he was with you. Mr. Suder met us there as well. From there, I created several technical problems all over the ship, unrelated to Engineering, trying to keep the Kazon distracted and focused on menial tasks for as long as possible."

"That was a good idea."

"I tampered with the equipment and after that I went to Holodeck and started my program. I altered it, disabled security protocols and allowed safe access to me and Mr. Suder alone. From there he lured several Kazon in, and the program did the rest. That cut down the crew significantly. Mr. Paris contacted sickbay and we prepared for the attack. I asked Mr. Suder to seal Engineering with me and the Kazon in it and I… killed them, Captain.", she frowned, staring at the ground. "I… Mr. Suder didn't kill a single Kazon, it was me. I… I wanted the crew back."

The Captain stared at them for a while.

"I authorize your airponics laboratory, Mr. Suder. We will work out the details later.", he smiled and thanked the Captain. "I am going to promote you to …"

"No.", said Hermione.

"Miss Voyager… may I know why?"

"I will work and do whatever you want, just, no ranks. For now, at least."

"Well, if you ever change your mind. I would like to assign you solely to Engineering. While we were on Hanon IV, Lieutenant Torres and Ensign Vorik have spoken wonders of you and I can see they were right."

"Oh? Ensign Vorik?"

"Yes. Impressive technical skills, as he said.", the witch blushed slightly. "Now, you are dismissed. Mr. Suder goes to the Brig, until we can once more add security to his quarters. And you are to rest in yours."

"No, please, the Doctor must have his hands full and I promised I'd go back…"

"Then you are to go there for an exam. You will not help for more than an hour, if the Doctor allows such a thing."

"But."

"Non-negotiable, Miss Voyager."

"Very well, Captain.", all were dismissed, apart from Chakotay.

"I still can't quite believe we are back so soon.", he said.

"Hmm. There is more to this young lady than meets the eye. And to resist under such pressure with only Mr. Suder and the Doctor for company… I am also somewhat impressed with Mr. Suder. He had every chance to join the Kazon, yet he didn't. Did you know he created a new species of orchid? He's going to name it after Tuvok."

"I can say that he doesn't look the same. There's an edge there that… has been softened. I don't know how to explain it."

"I think we can expect good things from Miss Voyager, at least."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

After things calmed down (one could not expect she would _actually_ obey the Captain's orders, as she wouldn't be able to sleep right away, thank you very much), Hermione was almost immediately ordered to confine herself to her new quarters for the next twelve hours, two doors away from our residential sociopath, followed by another twelve hours of rest and _dolce fare niente_ (Doctor Grumpy's orders and exact words). She would have to pay the Betazoid a visit, when she could. He'd most likely explain exactly what he would be doing with an airponics lab. Floriculture wasn't her forte, at all.

She would love nothing better than to resume her work beside B'Elanna, but that also implied working close to Vorik. Hermione cringed at her badly timed joke on Vorik's appearance – _The Hanon IV' look doesn't agree with you_ (really?! _You sounded like Ronald Weasley, when did your emotional range decrease to the size of a teaspoon?!_) – not to mention the following declarations. _You sounded like a fucking lovesick puppy, you blithering idiot!_ Merlin!

_What must he think of me?_, she asked herself, sighing dejectedly, lying down on her bed, covering herself and turning down the lights. _Catch up on your sleep, Hermione Granger. Then you'll think of what to do._

Ten hours of constantly disturbed sleep. She kept dreaming with the Kazon, and then of the war back home. How much actual sleep did she get? She sighed dejectedly. Maybe four or five hours. Hardly enough.

_Doctor Grumpy is not going to like it_, she mumbled to herself, fingering her new cortical monitor. She hated those things.

"Doctor to Voyager.", she rolled her eyes and tapped her badge.

"Yes, Doctor. I know, I know, sorry about not sleeping but I've been having nightmares."

"It is understandable, Miss Voyager."

"I was thinking about leaving my quarters, maybe relax a bit outside. I'm craving some dessert, and I hardly saw Neelix ever since… well…"

"I've already requested Mr. Neelix to deliver you a meal. I thought you might appreciate a bit of quiet company."

"I love Neelix, Doctor, and you know he is everything but quiet.", she smiled fondly.

"Actually, Mr. Neelix is not going to be the one delivering your meal."

"Who, then?"

"Oh, just a crewmember who happened to be finishing his meal there. Doctor out."

_What the?_, she thought and frowned slightly at the door chime. "Come in.", her jaw dropped.

"Vorik! I mean, Ensign Vorik. You shouldn't have bothered.", she fidgeted. "I apologize, I just got up… Umm… Thank you."

_Damn it, Doc! My hair must be a mess and I'm in my pijamas. Great. Just great._

The Vulcan cleared his throat.

"It is fine, Miss Voyager. I had just finished my meal, and I hadn't seen you in a while."

"I just needed rest. I was quite busy while the Kazon were on board."

"B'Elanna told me what you did. Very impressive."

"Thank you.", she paused and smiled shyly at him. "It's strange."

"What is?"

"Our first conversation without a PADD. Now I can pick your brain to my heart's delight about all sorts of things. Especially about engineering.", she sighed. "If I become too nosy, tell me to shut up."

"Miss Voyager, I do not mind answering your questions. All the ones you have posed 'till this day were all relevant and revealed intelligence.", she blushed. "I wonder if you have regained any of your memories, along with your voice.", Hermione turned her back on him.

"Yes.", she whispered. "They are not all pleasant. Ensign…"

"You may call me Vorik."

"There are things, I want… I want to confide in you, but I'm afraid.", he raised his eyebrow. "Afraid you won't understand, or that you'll treat me differently."

"I will wait for as long as you need."

"Oh. Thank you.", she swallowed hard. "Well, is that soup? And pie?"

"Yes, I believe you shall enjoy it."

Hermione sat down and began her meal. She felt a little self-conscious eating in front of him, and she finished quickly enough.

"You had quite an appetite."

"I hadn't eaten in a day. I couldn't bring myself to. I…"

"Yes?"

"Call me Hermione."

"That is your true name?"

"Yes."

"And your last name?"

"I'd rather not tell. Vorik…", he nodded. "I… could you… perhaps… if it's not too much trouble."

Vorik was as amused as a Vulcan could be. It was interesting to observe how many shades of red the little human female's face could display. This shade of red spread from her face to her neck and down below her nightgown, in a complementing periwinkle satin, long and flowing, enhancing her forms. Not that he would notice such things. He was above that.

He did not expect she would ask him to read to her 'till she fell asleep. He took her PADD, looking at the text, and pulled a comfortable arm chair closer as she settled, laying in her bed, her eyes turning to his.

"Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë. Chapter One."

"Would you begin in Chapter Two instead? It's one of my favorites.", he nodded in compliance.

"_I resisted all the way: a new thing for me, and a circumstance which greatly strengthened the bad opinion Bessie and Miss Abbot were disposed to entertain of me. The fact is, I was a trifle beside myself; or rather OUT of myself, as the French would say: I was conscious that a moment's mutiny had already rendered me liable to strange penalties, and, like any other rebel slave, I felt resolved, in my desperation, to go all lengths_." (AN – Beginning of Chapter 2, Jane Eyre).

Vorik read on, and noticed she fell asleep before he had even finished the chapter, her breathing even and deep, her body, her face relaxed and looking at peace, framed by her curly hair, a few strands escaping her ponytail and falling into her face. He stared at Hermione, placed the PADD on her nightstand, and put those strands away from her face. He froze, she breathed in harder, and then breathed out.

She kept sleeping and he stood, watching her for another minute before he left.


End file.
